Breast milk is produced primarily by feeding your baby.
So it is only safe to say that when you stop breastfeeding, it is also inevitable that you will also have to stop your milk production whether you like it or not.
Stopping it will entail a full halt on breastfeeding and even milk expressing.
Unfortunately, saying bye-bye to breast milk is not only emotionally difficult for the baby, but also physically difficult for the mother as well.
Most mothers feel when their breasts start to engorge, they become heavy and hard (usually painful) to the slightest touch, and sometimes (although it does not often lead to serious medical conditions) the pain develops into mastitis - inflammation of the milk ducts in the breasts due to calcified milk.
It is best that you lay off breastfeeding or milk expression gradually.
This will be much easier on your body and there would be less pain.
There are not many studies done on its correlation, but theory has it that quitting breastfeeding cold turkey may possibly lead to abrupt hormonal changes which could lead mommy to being sad and depressed - a positive and dangerous indicator to post-partum depression which can be either mild or excessive in nature.
Abrupt stopping of breast milk production will also make you a much likelier candidate for mastitis - that thought alone scared me when I was breastfeeding and made my choice much easier when I needed to stop.
The only ones who should stop cold turkey would be the ones without a choice - those with medical conditions during pregnancy and post-pregnancy.
In doing gradual reduction of milk supply, try to eliminate a pumping session or feeding one at a time.
Start with the least favorite feeding time.
This gradual wean would give your body a chance to adjust to the decrease in stimulation, and also gives your baby a chance to change his body's need for sustenance to a much larger portion at a different time.
Never bind your breasts.
It may have worked on our ancestors, but we may never know of the effects thereafter.
Also, studies have shown that breast-binding can lead to a plugged duct or a breast infection.
Wear a comfortable, all-cotton bra; make sure it isn't too snug.
Take a warm bath if you can't bear the pain.
Another alternative would be to put chilled cabbage leaves in the cups of your bra, just enough to cover the breast.
The coldness of the cabbage is surprisingly soothing, not to mention very effective.
There are no clinical studies for this, but rumor through the grapevine has it that the cabbage has an enzyme that also helps stop milk production.
When all else fails, simple ibuprofen or acetaminophen might do the trick.
But before downing some, make sure to take a quick trip to your doctor and get the thumbs-up first.